The Insurgency in Chechnya

Winner of a Kirkus Star, multiple awards, and named to numerous “best of” lists, the critically-acclaimed analysis in The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad helps both the average reader and the seasoned analyst make sense of the situation in the Caucasus. With the Sochi Olympics right around the corner, President Putin’s re-election, and increasing violence throughout the region, understanding this volatile conflict is especially important in light of efforts to “reset” the relationship between Russia and the United States. For the first time, a Special Forces expert on insurgency and Russia offers the definitive guide on the conflict, explaining why the Russian approach to counter terrorism has failed and why terrorist and insurgent attacks in Russia have increased sharply over the past four years.

The Insurgency in Chechnya and the North Caucasus: From Gazavat to Jihad is a comprehensive treatment of this 300 year-old conflict. Thematically organized, refreshingly accessible and well-written, it cuts through the rhetoric to provide the critical lens through which readers can truly understand the “why” and “how” of insurgencies and terrorism – and lay bare the intricacies of the Chechen and North Caucasus conflict – one of the world’s longest-running contemporary insurgencies.

A fascinating case study of a counterinsurgency campaign that is in direct contravention of US and Western doctrine, this book is also the perfect companion to those studying insurgencies because it shows an enemy-centric approach to counterinsurgency in action. As such, it’s been chosen as a textbook in numerous terrorism and insurgency programs throughout the world, and named to the “Top 150 Books on Terrorism and Counterterrorism” by the Terrorism Research Initiative. The book examines the differences and linkages between insurgency and terrorism; the origins of conflict in the North Caucasus; and the influences of different strains of Islam, of al-Qaida, and of the War on Terror. A critical examination of never- before-revealed Russian counterinsurgency (COIN) campaigns explains why those campaigns have consistently failed and why the region has seen such an upswing in violence since the conflict was officially declared “over” in 2006.

The book’s features include detailed statistics from the North Caucasus Incident Database (every violent incident in the region over a two-year period); charts showing the complex strategies of the insurgency and the Russian counterinsurgency campaigns; declassified intelligence reports; maps and a bibliography. Presented through the lens of counterinsurgency theory, doctrine and practice, this incisive analysis explores the historic roots of each issue, the key players, and the farthest-reaching effects. See for yourself why this book is now being used in security studies programs both in the United States and around the world.